Hanover U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., said Thursday she continues to support the Affordable Care Act and that more Americans are coming to appreciate the health-care law as they gain coverage or see its benefits.

Peoples perspectives are changing, Kuster said in an interview after an appearance at Dartmouth College.

The first-term Democrat said almost 100,000 New Hampshire residents are benefiting from the ACA through expanded Medicaid and private plans offered via the states exchange and young people under 26 staying on their parents plans.

The new health care law promises to be a central issue in the November elections, and President Obama last week said Democrats should forcefully defend and be proud of the fact....were helping because of something we did.

A Gallup poll released two weeks ago found 54 percent of Americans disapprove of the law, while 43 percent approve, the latter number increasing since last November.

Nationally, approximately 8 million Americans have signed up for private health care coverage through the new marketplaces and an additional 3 million gained coverage under Medicaid expansion.

Kuster said that rather than repealing the law, as many Republican lawmakers have advocated, her goal is to ease the transition and to not leave people with their lives disrupted. For example, she said she hopes to ensure that people are not punished with fines and fees for failing to sign up in a timely manner.

Efforts to smooth the laws adoption in New Hampshire are not all legislative fixes, she said.

Instead, improvements are likely to come from competition within the private sector as more companies join the states exchange, she said.

Kuster was in Hanover Thursday to meet with area businesswomen and Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth faculty and students as part of an ongoing Womens Economic Agenda tour of the state.

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Kuster: Health Care Law Gaining Fans As It Unfolds